The IKEA 40th Anniversary Catalogue is here. Available across Canada in your local IKEA Store this August 2016. (CNW Group/IKEA Canada)

The much anticipated 2017 IKEA Catalogue launches this month introducing new home furnishings which invite Canadians to challenge conventions and to think differently about life at home

BURLINGTON, ON, Aug. 15, 2016 /CNW/ - Today, IKEA Canada has announced the launch of its 2017 IKEA Catalogue, full of new and well-designed home furnishing products to inspire and make life at home more beautiful. At IKEA, it's about much more than how things look. It's about making things better. Good design is the right combination of form, function, quality, sustainability and the product must be accessible to the many at a low price. This year's catalogue showcases how IKEA products are designed with Canadians in mind.

The 2017 IKEA Catalogue also encourages people to let go of expectations in and around the kitchen and highlights IKEA home furnishing solutions that help Canadians live a life free of traditional expectations. Stemming from the marketing campaign 'It Starts With The Food', IKEA challenges expectations that make our lives unnecessarily demanding. They want to help people say 'goodbye' to stress and 'hello' to the joy of cooking, eating and being together. As part of this challenge, IKEA has launched a hero film which supports the idea that our meals don't always have to take place at a perfectly set table, all that matters is that we are together.

"We want to start a conversation about the expectations often placed around our life at home," said Lauren MacDonald, Country Marketing Manager, IKEA Canada. "A meal with family or friends doesn't have to happen around a perfectly set table, all that matters is that we are together".

For 40 years IKEA has been deeply rooted in Canada, continuing to reinvent itself with iconic designs that inspire generation after generation of Canadians. This year's IKEA Catalogue showcases both new products and evolved classic designs, all of which are built on the principles of 'Democratic Design'. Also turning 40 this year is the iconic POÄNG armchair and to celebrate the occasion, IKEA is introducing one new frame colour and six new covers to complement the existing range of combinations.

As life continues to change and evolve, it also becomes increasingly important for IKEA to understand how consumers create safe and comfortable environments where they can foster meaningful relationships. For the first time ever, the IKEA catalogue showcases the company's values through 13 feature stories which take the reader on a journey to homes around the world. The purpose is to show inspiring examples of how IKEA connects to people in different cultures and how understanding their needs and dreams helps IKEA design and make better products and solutions. In Canada, IKEA understands that life at home for many, means living in smaller spaces or older homes, a fact that inspires new consumer solutions each year. For more information on how consumers are living around the world and within Canada, view the IKEA Life at Home Report 2016.

For more information on how IKEA is celebrating life at home, Canadians can check out the IKEA catalogue app, online or print versions:

IKEA Digital Catalogue - Available by Aug. 23, 2016 so users can save their favorite products and create shopping lists at IKEA.ca/catalogue.

IKEA Catalogue App - Available by Aug. 24, 2016 for smartphones and tablets (iOS and Android) where consumers can download to view rich content including videos and an augmented reality feature which allows users to virtually place and view nearly 400 IKEA products in their own homes. Starting in late September, the app will also connect seamlessly with the latest version of Apple TV.

ABOUT IKEA CANADAIKEA is a leading home furnishing retailer with 375 stores in more than 50 countries worldwide, which are visited by 884 million people every year. IKEA Canada has 12 stores, an eCommerce virtual store and six Pick-up and order point locations in southern Ontario and Quebec. The company also recently announced plans to open a 13th store in Halifax, Nova Scotia in late 2017. Last year, IKEA Canada welcomed 25 million visitors to its stores and 75 million visitors to the IKEA.ca website. Founded in 1943, the IKEA business philosophy is to offer a wide range of products of good design and function at prices so low, the majority of people can afford them. For more information on IKEA, please visit: www.IKEA.ca.

For more information, you can link to the press kit which highlights all of the news in this year's new Catalogue. Too access all of the high resolution images found in the press kit, please visit photo link here.